CULTURE AND TOURISM: Dublin City Soul Festival

From left: Paul Slattery, Chris Maher and Redmond O’Hanlon of the Dublin City Soul Festival at the awards yesterday. The festival was the winner of the Culture and Tourism category.

The brainchild of Anna Livia’s Soul Kitchen presenter Chris Maher, the Dublin City Soul Festival was launched in May this year as “a celebration of peace, unity and love”.

Bringing together international DJs and local live bands, the festival was designed as a vibrant, multicultural event with an emphasis on family.

This year, DJ Kev Roberts, radio presenter and producer Dr Bob Jones, and Germany’s The Soul Rabbi were joined by local bands Santoria, The Blues Brothers Showband and The Conspirators at the Capital Bar.

The four-day event also included the family-friendly Soul Picnic in Merrion Square Park, where more than 4,000 people gathered to watch and listen to the Blues Brothers Tribute Band, the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, the Rance Allen Group and The Commitments.

One of the festival’s stated aims is to foster community spirit and draw in both old and new Dublin, with an appeal intended to extend to soul-lovers of all ages.

More than 12,000 people attended the various events and concerts throughout Dublin this year, which ran fromMay 24th to May 27th. The Dublin City Soul Festival was funded by Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland/Dublin Tourism.

Highly commended:

• Dublin culture night
• The New Theatre, East Essex Street
• The Chinese Irish Culture Academy